Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; and command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made 65 the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given 70 him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land come and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the 75 king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith Jehovah, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

28.1. And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning 80 of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of Jehovah, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Israel, saying, I have 85 broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of Jehovah's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: and I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with 90 all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith Jehovah: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of Jehovah, even the prophet Jere- 95 miah said, Amen: Jehovah do so: Jehovah perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of Jehovah's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; 100 the prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great king

And

doms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall 105 come to pass, shall be known as the prophet whom Jehovah hath truly sent. Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it. Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith Jehovah; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchad10 nezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. Then the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Go and tell Hana115 niah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve 120 him and I have given him the beasts of the field also. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; Jehovah hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith Jehovah ; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year 125 thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against Jehovah. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

LESSON LXXXIV

THE FALL OF JERUSALEM

JEREMIAH 37, 38, 39, 52

37.1. And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the 5 words of Jehovah, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto Jehovah our God for

us.

Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. Then Pharaoh's army 10 was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. Then came the word of Jehovah unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to 15 enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. Thus saith Jehovah; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from 20 us: for they shall not depart. For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

37.11. And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chal- 25 deans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there in the midst of the people. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son 30 of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. Wherefore the princes were wroth with 35 Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe for they had made that the prison. When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days; then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out and the king asked him 40 secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Jehovah ? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have 45 put me in prison? Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? Therefore hear now,

I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, 50 be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the guard, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the 55 city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

38.1. Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking 60 unto all the people, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. Thus saith Jehovah, This city shall surely be given into the 65 hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it. Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them for this man 70 seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand for the king is not he that can do any thing against you. Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison and 75 they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire. Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin ; 80 Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying, My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is for there is no more bread in the city. 85 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king

under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to 90 Jeremiah. And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so. So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon and Jeremiah remained in the court of the 95 guard.

38.28. So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And it came to pass when Jerusalem was taken (39.3), that all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergal- 100 sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-saris, Nergal - sharezer, Rab-mag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. And they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: 105 so he dwelt among the people.

52.12. Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, and burned 110 the house of Jehovah, and the king's house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: and all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the 115 guard carried away captive the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen. Also the pillars of 120 brass that were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of Jehovah, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon. The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they 125 ministered, took they away. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: he took also out of the city

JUNIOR

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